Aerial machine.



E. LOSSE. AERIAL MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

4 5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

uxd. MA A 6/95 1 E. LOSSB.

AERIAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

5 SHEETSSHEET 2.

E. LOSSE.

AERIAL MACHINE. APPLIOATIION FILED MAR. 22, 1910.

995 361, Patented June 13, 1911.

5 SHEETS-SHEET a.

E. LOSSE.

AERIAL MAGHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.22, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1.911.

'6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

E. LOSSE.

AERIAL MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 22, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

m/ANM 14mm, ML #124 A 44 (m ilNlTE STATES PATENT orrion.

EMILE LOSSE, OF VILLENEUVE-S'L-GEORGES, FRANCE.

AERIAL MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 13, 1911. Applicationfiled March 22, 1919. Serial No. 550,987.

To all whom it may concern: I

zen of the French Republic, and resident of Villeneuve St. -Georges,France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AerialMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an aeroplane of improved construction,characterized by a body of the shape of a half-cylinder arrangedlongitudinally and by two lateral aeroplanes consisting of revolubledisks which are symmetrically arranged with regard to the axis of themachine and destined to revolvein opposite directions. Said lateralaeroplanes serve at the same time as fiy-wheels for the engine and forautomatically insuring the equilibrium of the machine owing to theirgyroscopic effects; they further cleave the air and permit aconsiderable increase in the speed of the machine. Each of said diskshas two blades which form oars and said oars are mechanically driven.When the force of the engine is greater than that of the wind the vanesfacilitate the propulsion; while the wind acts uponthe vanes if itsforce is greater than that of the engine adding thus its propellingpower to that of the engine. Finally, the improvements relate to thearrangement of the rear rudder and to the manner in which the wheels aremounted which serve for supporting the machine on the ground.

The invention is shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 represent diagram-- matically, respectively in sideview, plan view and end view, the aerial machine of improvedconstruct-ion. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are corresponding views which show on alarger scale only a part of the machine. Figs. 7, 8 and 11 representconstructional details. Figs. 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 show a modifiedconstruction of the aerial machine.

In the following description of the improved aerial machine I shall notgive par- I Y ticular descriptions of the'mechanicalmeans employed forconnectin I the various parts of the aeroplane, nor 0 the means forinsuring the rlgidity of the frame, said means consisting in the well'known bamboo rods or steel tubes and conveniently arranged stays. Saidmeans have not been shown in the drawings as the invention merelyrelates to the form and special arrangement of the sustaining devices,and means for propelling 7 and Steering, but not to the manner in whichBe it known that I, EMILE Lossn, a c1t1- they are fixed.

According to Figs. 1 to 8 the aeroplane consists essentially of the bodya which has the form of a cylinder out horizontall at the middle andsituated along the axis 0 the machine and slightly inclined at theproper angle to the horizontal plane which is necessary for an easystart, and of two sustaining surfaces which are parallel with the underedges of the body and arranged at either side of the same and at therear part. Said sustaining planes have the shape shown in Fig. 2 andthey are composed of. two right angled triangles 6 whose sides aredirected along a generating line of the body a and along a cross staycand of another part d arranged upon the other side of said cross stay.Said parts oi extend at either side of the body a, along the entirelength of the cross stay 0 while the parts I; extend only to about-themiddle of this length. The front edge of said parts (5 is curved toconform to the shape of the gyroscopic disks 6 which form the third andlast part of the sustainmg means.

The propelling means are constituted by two propellers f mounted at thefront end of which shows no novelty and of two rear rudders z' mountedat either side of the sustaining planes 1) and hinged-1y connected withthe ends of the cross stay 0. Said rudders i are controlled by the samedevice which operates the rear wheel is and serves for steering themachine when running on the ground. This operating device for thesteering rudders is constructed so thatif the rear-wheel k is turned inone direction one of the planes 2' which form the rear rudders is turnedwhile the other plane is turned when said rear-wheel is being turned inthe opposite direction. realizing these movements may he of anyconvenient type. Finally the steering mechanism of the machine iscompleted by the fixed vertical plane 11 mounted at the rear of themachine above the body a and along the axial line of the same.

The means. for

rudder h the arrangement and construction The planes 5 permit thelateral displacement of'the center of thrust of the machine which, whensaid planes are in normal symmetric position, is situated in the medianplane of the machine.

The gyroscopic disks 6 consist of a round piece of canvas stretched bymeans of spokes m the inner ends of which are fixed in a support amounted upon a shaft 0 which stand perpendicular to said piece and isdriven by bevel gearing p (Fig. 6') which is operated fiom the engine.Ball-and-socket joints are employed for connecting the several parts sothat the two shafts 0 are securely connected with the engine. The upperand. lower ends of said shafts are strengthened by means of cross staysg which are parallel with the cross stay 0. The free ends of the spokesm are connected with the upper end of the corresponding shaft 0 byconnecting rods 1" on the one hand and with a' ring 25 on the other handby means of other connecting rods 8. Said ring 6 is situated below thesupport a and connected with the same by a number of rods u, so that theframe which is thus formed can revolve around the vertical shaft 0. Ashaft 2; placed across the gyroscopic disk e and rigidly connected withthe same is revolubly mounted in a bearing to which forms part of theperpendicular shaft 0.

The shaft 11 traverses the supporting piece a and serves forcommunicating the revolving motion of the vertical shaft 0 to the diske. Said shaft '0 carries at either end a blade w-y said blades beingarranged at right angles with regard to each other; Upon said horizontalshaft '1) there are keyed close to the bearing 'w two crank arms 2, thesup porting piece at having an opening in which said crank arms arelocated. The crank arms 2 carry at their lower ends, rollers 2 whichbear upon the upper edge of a fixed cam 3. This cam 3 is fixed upon theupper end of a tube 4 which surrounds the shaft 0. The two tubes 4 arerigidly connected with each other in any convenient manner. The cam 3presents two inclines 5 (Fig. 8) so that the horizontal shaft 12executes at each complete revolution of the vertical shaft 0' two vrotations in opposite directions. From this it follows that during thefirst half of the revolution of1the shaft 0 and consequently of thegyroscopic disk e one of the blades, say av or example is parallel withthe said disk (Figs. 5 and 6), the other blade, 11 standingperpendicular to the same (Figs. 2 and 3). There are further mountedupon the vertical shaft 0 and the supporting piece at below each of thegyroscopic disks 6 two auxiliary blades 6.

When the engine works the gyroscopic disks 6 are revolving in oppositedirections and they serve as fly-wheels for the engine, at the same timeequilibrati'ng the aeroplane by means of their gyroscopic effects; saiddisks further cleave the air with their edges whereby they facilitatethe propulsion and consequently increase the speed at which theaeroplane is running. Every time one of the blades :0, y, arrives at theouter half of the disk it stands at right angles with regard to theplane of its disk, the other blade being parallel with the disk. 1f theforce of the engine is greater than that of the wind, the outer bladeacts as car and assists in the propelling of the machine. If however theforce of the wind is greater than that of the engine, the wind pushesagainst said outer blade and increases the speed at which the apparatusis running. The auxiliary blades 6 serve for the same purpose byutilizing the power of the air current produced by the propellers Thewheels which support the machine on the ground consist of the rearsteering wheel Z"- and of the two front wheels 7. The hubs of saidwheels are mounted upon an .angle lever pivotally mounted on an axle bysaid spring 10. If the shock is very strong the wheels give way turningaround the pivot 9 and the machine rests upon the leverwhich serves asrunner, (Fig. 11).

According to Figs. 9, 10, 12,13 and 1 f the sustaining planes aremodified as follows The two lateral planes 7;, d of Fig. 2 are reducedand limited to the shape shown at b in Fig. 10. The half-cylindricalbody a is narrowed at its rear part a The steering planes and thesteadying planes are modified as follows :-The front rudder h issuppressed; the side wings i are suppressed. The stability inlongitudinal direction is obtained by means of one single horizontalrear rudder 12 of swallow tail shape and mounted behind the body a Thesteering in horizontal direction is effected by means of the verticalrudder 13 which is substituted for the rudder 11 and consists of twoplanes cutting one another at right angles.

The propulsion is modified in the following manner :-The propellers fand the auxiliary oars 6 are suppressed. The blades m, g are only halfas large as they are according to Figs. 1 to 8. For the shaft 2: made inone piece a shaft has been substituted which'is composed of two parts,the one of which '0 is slightly longer than half the shaft e and carriesthe crank arms 2 whose rollers 2 roll upon the cam 3. The other part 0of the shaft, instead of being in alinement with the first part, isdriven by a system of two pinions 14 and 15 so that its revolving motionis efi'ected in a direction opposite to that in which the part 41revolves. Owing to this arrangement, the two blades al and 1 1 can bearranged at either side of the gyroscopic plane 6. i

A rope which is fixed with one end to the gyroscopic disk 6 and with theother end at the outer corner 16 of each blade is of just such a length,that the blade 00 can adopt a direction perpendicular to the gyrcscopicplane 0 so that the entire pushing strain which at that moment is veryconsiderable is supported by said rope but not by the shaft o upon whichsaid blade or, is fixed.

The half-blades w, and 3 instead of being plane are slightly concave asshown at 17 i (Fig. 12). Said blades are strengthened by a certainnumber of stays 18 and cross stays 19 (Fig. 12). There are furtherarranged in the concavity of each blade transverse planes 20 whichthemselves are concave toward the center of the disk 6 so that duringthe revolving motion of said disk the action of these planes is added tothe general action of'the blade thus increasing the propulsion of themachine.

I claim 1. An improved aeroplane comprising three sustaining surfaces,of which one consists of a half-cylindrical body arranged along thelongitudinal axis of the machine,

.the secondof two planes mounted at either side of said body and thethird of two gy roscopic disks arranged at either side of said body;propelling means consisting of two propeller screws coupled with eachother and mounted at the front end of the machine, of two vanes mountedupon said gyroscopic disks and of two vertical blades mounted below saidgyroscopic disks; means for steering the machine consisting oftheordinary front rudder and of two lateral rear rudders which areindependent of each other and connected with the hand wheel of thesteering device, and of a plane vertically mounted upon the body of saidma chine.

2. An improved aeroplane having mounted at either side of the axis ofthe machine two vertical shafts connected with the engine carrying atthelr upper ends gyroscopic dlsks which are revolved from said shafts bythe intermediary of a supporting piece in which a shaft is guided whichis 'placed across said disk and which traverses side of said body and oftwo gyroscopic v disks; means for propelling the machine consistingexclusively of said two gyroscopic disks of which each carries twoblades situated-on either side of said plane and capable of rotating inopposite directions, said blades having in their concavit-ies auxiliaryplanes curved toward the center of the disk, of a single steering rudderacting in vertical direction and of one single rudder ofswallow-tail-shape fixed at the rear end of the machine and by a-framewhose wheels are supported by runners destined to come infcontact withthe ground when the machine is landing.-

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

. EMILE LOSSE.

Witnesses:

DEAN B. MAsoN, ALFRED FREY. F

